Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-09-16
TORIES TO BLAME.
The Riots the Result of Their Irish
Policy.
Harcourt Severely Censul es the Gov
efnment.
The Right of Public Meeting Denied in
Ireland Alone Mr.. Balfour
Thinks the Tory Policy
Will ''Conciliate''
the Irish.

mons this afternoon on motion to 90 in
to committee on the appropriation bill,
Sir William Vsrnon Harcourt, Liberal,
called attention to the general policy OF
the government In Ireland, especially
to the invasion of he rights of the peop pie
respecting the fights to hold public
meetings. He demanded that tie house
be informed of tie nature of the instruct
ions given the poll in Ireland regarding
the line of action ;hey are te pursue in
respect to public meetings; also whether
the report is true that Gen. Sir Rsdvers
Butler resigned the post of Gnder-secre-
tary for ireland and what were the
reasons for his resignation. He claimed
that the IRISH people possessed in common
with the English the right to meet and
denounce the action of the Legislative
branch of the government, and declared
that the attempts 10 prevent the holding
of such meetings violated the common
law and constitution and were fGgrant
breach and denial of the fundamental
principles OF both, and wholly incompati-
BILE with the existence of free government
or the rights of free people.
TORY ADVICE.
Some Tory journals had suggested that
m achine guns ought to be used against
the Irish people. (Cries of "What pa
perry "St. James Gazette" answered
the speaker, adding, "a typical Tory or
gan" The most detestable aud scandal
Gus language ha3 been used by the Times.
Sir William vent on; for the express pur-
pose of driving the Irish to revolt; Ian
guege such as never before degraded the
press of a free country. If the
advice of the Unionist papers had been
followed, what. between machine
guns, eyictlons and Troy landlords, soon
very few Irish people would be left. He
was confident, he said the Irish people
would persist in the prudence and calm
ness they had already exhibited. Let the
government try the experiment of their
new doctrine upon the people of Eng
land. The country would make short
work of them. The heart of England
was with the Irish in vindicating the rig ht
of public meeting and would support them
until Justice was done. The meetings
must continue to be held in all parts of
Ireland. Parnellite cheers. The
governments dread of public meeting
wruld seal the doom of their Irish policy.
SURPRISING MEETINGS.
that the suppression of public meetings
was illegal, Mr.. Balfour said he did not
know at what period Sir William lost his
knowledge of law, but it was a matter of
history, under the common law of Ire
land, Sir William himself acted with
Gladstone and Forster in proclaiming
13O meetings. CO.. 1t was again and
again stated, VIII, ,ese meetings were
~
contain any new powers. The question
really was, not whether the governments
action vas legal, but whether it was poll
tic.
Regarding the Mitehelstown affair, Mr..
Balfour said it had been clearly ascer-
tanned that the action of the police was
in the face of extreme provocation.
Cries of "Oh," ooh" The police were
assaulted with stones and blackt horn
sticks before they drew batons. Cries
of "No," NO Not until they were
thrown into a crowd of horsemen, a num-
Der wounded and the rest forced to fly
for their lives did they protect them
selves. The government believed in a
firm administration of the law. They
must e1 pect little assistance from the op-
position, but undismayed by criticism
and with courage mistaken they would
preserve IL a course that must end in the
conciliation of Ireland. Loud cheers. !
THE MooNLIGHTERs.
Mr.. Balfour, chief secretary for Ireland,
announced that a telegram had been re-
ceived regarding an afray at Lisdoon-
varna last night. The dispatch stated
that five moonligh;Grs lad been captured.
Constable Wheelan was killed and three
others seriously hurt. A number of
rifles and and revolvers and quantity of
ammunition had been captured. The
five men arrested were captured inside
of the house of Farmer Sexton. Two
more we're identified to-day. Farmer
Sexton, whom the gang meant to murder,
had been summoned by the league and
ceusured and he had promised to sur
render his farm, but he did not do So
The gang thereupoB entered his house
when the police who lay in ambush sur
prised them.
With regard to Gen. Butler, MIR. Bal
four said he always acted in perfect har-
mony with the present government. His
appointment as under-secretary for
Ireland was only temper
ary, sni be resigned noa
simply because he desired not to delay
his return to the war office and the sup,
position that Gen. Buffers retirement
was due in the slightest degree to the
difference of opinion with him (Balfour)
was absolutely false.